Friday, October 19, 2012

LOS ANGELES -- Gerry Hunsicker, former general manager of the Houston Astros and most recently a senior vice president with Tampa Bay, was hired by the Dodgers Thursday as a senior advisor for baseball operations, the club announced.

Hunsicker, 62, will assist general manager Ned Colletti and is the first front-office addition since Guggenheim Baseball Partners bought the club in May. Hunsicker helped establish Tampa Bay's academy in Brazil and has been instrumental in sharpening the club's international focus, an area the Dodgers consider a high priority.

According to a team release, "Hunsicker will assist Colletti and President and CEO Stan Kasten with the Dodgers' big league club while also lending his expertise to international scouting and development, pro scouting and Minor League development."

Hunsicker was the Houston general manager from 1996-2004, during which time the club won four division titles. The team reached the World Series the following year. In 1998, when the Astros won 102 games, he was named The Sporting News executive of the year. He served in various management positions with the Mets before rejoining the Astros.

I looked it up, the Astros had eight winning seasons in Hunsicker's nine-year tenure as GM, including four seasons with over 90 wins. Dodgers GM Ned Colletti has had six winning seasons out of seven, but only one season with 90 or more wins.

It's hard to fathom given the Astros today, but they actually went to the World Series in 2005 (swept by the White Sox), the year after Hunsicker left. Wow, I had forgotten! Of the five playoff appearances under Hunsicker, four of them yielded losses in the LDS with an aggregate two games won (out of 14 LDS games).